Chapter 18 Old Woman Jiang Lin walked outside the main hall. It was already afternoon and would soon be evening. Normally, there shouldn't be any pilgrims at this spot. Jiang Lin thought that Ao Run had dealt with his own affairs, so he came here in a hurry. But who would have thought that when Jiang Lin opened the door of the Taoist temple, he found that it was not Ao Run, but a real pilgrim. "May I ask if there is a Taoist priest Xuanying here?" The pilgrim was an old woman leaning on a walking stick, followed by a maid. The old woman was about fifty or sixty years old, with gray hair, but she was in good spirits and well-dressed. The walking stick in her hand shone with a warm light under the sunlight. Although Jiang Lin didn't quite understand, he roughly knew that this walking stick alone seemed to be worth half of his Taoist temple... "Infinite Heavenly Lord." Jiang Lin bowed his head and said, "I am Xuan Ying." The old woman laughed when she heard this and said, "It is just as Zhang Hu said. Taoist Xuanying is a young man with extraordinary grace. Now that I see him, his reputation is well-deserved."
As the old woman spoke, the maid behind her was secretly looking at Jiang Lin, her cheeks slightly reddened. To put it in today's terms, Jiang Lin was a Taoist priest who was handsome and refined, with a bit of an "ascetic" vibe. "Zhang Hu?" Jiang Lin raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and without asking any more questions, he just turned sideways and said, "Madam, please come in." "Sorry for bothering you." The old woman smiled and nodded, then walked into the Ziwei Temple with the help of her maid. Jiang Lin glanced outside the Taoist temple and saw a warm sedan parked not far away. Every detail of it was exquisite, and it was obvious that it was used by a wealthy family. Who is this old lady? Jiang Lin thought to himself and led the old woman into the main hall. After seeing the statue of Emperor Ziwei, the old woman became serious, straightened her clothes, and then burned incense meticulously. The old lady also had very good manners, and one could tell at first glance that she was from a well-off family. And it seems that he is very experienced in worshiping gods and Buddhas. After the old woman offered incense, she ordered her maid to offer fifty taels of incense money. Jiang Lin took two steps forward and said with a smile, "The mountain road is difficult to travel on, and it's almost night, so it's better for you to set off as soon as possible, old lady." Although I heard Zhang Hu's name from the old woman, combined with what I had just seen, I knew that the old woman was either rich or noble. But what does it have to do with Jiang Lin? "To be honest with you, Taoist priest, I came here for another important matter." The old woman did not hide anything and went straight to the point: "I wonder if you would be so kind as to give me a cup of fragrant tea?" Jiang Lin thought for a moment and said, "The temple is in ruins, with only some crude mountain tea. If the old lady doesn't mind, please follow me." "That's great, thank you, Taoist Priest." Jiang Lin took the old woman all the way to the back hall and sat down in the quiet room.
"Qiao'er, go guard outside the door." The old woman said to the maid. "Yes." The maid left the quiet room with her head lowered. The old woman sat opposite Jiang Lin and did not mention the tea. She said, "So that the Taoist priest can know, my family name is Zhao and my husband's family name is Wu. The Taoist priest can call me Wu Zhao." "Mrs. Wu." Jiang Lin nodded without saying anything more, just waiting for Madam Wu's next words. "To be honest with you, Taoist priest, the reason I came here this time is because Captain Zhang Hu told my son that you are a real person with cultivation, so I came here with such audacity." "Takako is?" Jiang Lin asked curiously. "My husband has passed away, and I have three children. The eldest son is an official in Kyoto, the second son is a general in Wuzhou, and the third son is in Hangzhou, supporting me, an old mother. He is also an official in Hangzhou, and is the magistrate of Qiantang County in Hangzhou." "The old lady has taught her children well." Jiang Lin praised sincerely. He has three sons, some are good at literature and some are good at martial arts, and one of them is an official in Kyoto, covering all walks of life. Qiantang County is a famous city and large county in Hangzhou. Although the prestige of "Marquis of Baili" is somewhat weakened because of its location within the city limits and the proximity of his superiors, he is still a great figure to be the head of a county. "You are too kind, Taoist priest." Madam Wu smiled reservedly, and then said seriously: "Captain Zhang Hu is under the command of my second son. When he came to visit my third son, he introduced the Taoist priest to my family." "Recommendation?" Jiang Lin raised his eyebrows. "Ugh……" The old woman sighed and said, "To be honest, I have three sons, but my grandchildren are not that prosperous, especially the third son, who only has one son." "Although this child is not very smart, he is still diligent. He is only fifteen or sixteen years old now." "Just over a month ago, the child suddenly fell ill with a strange disease." After hearing this, Jiang Lin roughly understood what was going on. It was probably because Zhang Hu went to visit the brother of his immediate superior and learned about the family affairs of County Magistrate Wu. Then he remembered Jiang Lin, the Taoist priest who had displayed his "magic powers" in front of him. Of course, it is also possible that it was Zhang Hu who told the story of the Tu family that made Old Madam Wu want to come and visit them. With this thought in mind, Jiang Lin asked, "What kind of strange disease is this?" "In recent months, my grandson has been acting like a madman. He has locked himself in his room, not seeing anyone, and not eating. He does not hurt anyone who comes near him, but instead uses various methods to injure himself, forcing the visitor to leave the room before he will be quiet." When Mrs. Wu said this, tears already welled up in her eyes. She suppressed her emotions and continued, "I have invited countless famous doctors, but none of them could figure out what was wrong with me."
"Now, we can only tie him up every day and feed him a tranquilizing soup to give him a moment of peace. At this time, we can feed him some rice porridge to keep him alive." "But what can we do if this continues? He is already skinny and will not live long..." Old Madam Wu sighed. "Why is it only temporary when forcibly binding?" Jiang Lin was a little confused. If he was just committing self-harm, tying up his body everywhere would mean he had to bite his tongue and stuff a cloth ball into his mouth. This way, at least he wouldn't have to worry about him hurting himself. "Tried it." Madam Wu shook her head and said sadly, "If he is tied up all the time, he will suffocate himself and would rather suffocate to death than breathe." This…… Jiang Lin was stunned when he heard this. Isn’t this a bit too cruel? It is said to be a strange disease, but since Old Madam Wu appeared here, she obviously knows what the cause is. In any case, Jiang Lin didn't believe that this old lady would do what Mrs. Butcher did, so the doctor she invited must be a real famous doctor. "I am an old woman with no other options left. I have the audacity to come to you for help. Please show mercy and save my grandson!" Old Madam Wu suddenly stood up and was about to kneel in front of Jiang Lin. "Why does the old lady have to do this?" Jiang Lin stopped her and asked softly, "Have you tried other methods, old lady? Isn't the famous Jinshan Temple in Qiantang County?" "I've been invited, too." Madam Wu sighed and said, "My son came to our house in person and invited a master, but after the master looked at it, he said nothing and just left in a hurry." Ok? Jiang Lin was a little surprised. There are really masters in Jinshan Temple, or in other words, there are practitioners. Buddhist practitioners are also good at dealing with such strange things. Even the master of Jinshan Temple avoids him? That's a bit interesting. (End of this chapter)